


Tinsel the Season

by blueboxesandtrafficcones



Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2019 [2]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alcohol, Christmas Decorations, Eggnog, F/F, Tinsel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-03
Updated: 2019-12-03
Packaged: 2021-02-26 01:27:08
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,110
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21655228
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueboxesandtrafficcones/pseuds/blueboxesandtrafficcones
Summary: Team TARDIS decorates for Christmas, and Rose isn’t thrilled with 13′s newfound love of tinsel.
Relationships: Thirteenth Doctor/Rose Tyler
Series: 31 Days of Ficmas 2019 [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1560049
Comments: 20
Kudos: 56
Collections: 31 Days of Ficmas 2019





	Tinsel the Season

**Author's Note:**

> Day 2 of 31 Days of Ficmas.

Drifting slowly awake, Rose sighed and snuggled down further into the blankets, fighting the creeping consciousness in favor a few more minutes. It was her favorite way to wake up, naturally without an alarm, and without opening her eyes she flipped her pillow to the other side.

And then bolted upright at the sound of jingling bells.

“Santa?”

“Oh, good, you’re up!” the Doctor chirped from somewhere above her, and Rose had to blink repeatedly while rubbing at her eyes.

“What the-”

When she’d fallen asleep the room had looked as it always had, at least as of the last regeneration. Now…

_It’s like Christmas threw up in here._

Yawning and stretching, she shifted to sit on her haunches as she tried to process what she was seeing. “Babe, what did you _do_?”

“I’m decorating! Bout time you got up and helped – we’ve been busy all morning.”

“ _We_?” Rose’s eyes widened in alarm, but a quick check of their bedroom proved they were alone – discounting the large inflatable Snoopy, angel, tree, and Santa scattered throughout the space. “What- I don’t- _Babe-_ ”

The Doctor climbed down from the ladder, rolling her eyes fondly and grabbing a mug from her nightstand. “Here, something to perk you up. Get dressed and help! You know, I had _no_ idea I had accumulated so many decorations, though I suspect I have you to thank for most of them. We’ve already got most of the TARDIS done. Now, shift!”

And she tossed a handful of tinsel over Rose’s head before holding out the mug.

“I hate you,” Rose muttered, accepting it and taking a sip before coughing. “This is _not_ tea.”

“It’s eggnog!”

Rose swirled the mug before sniffing the contents. “I’m pretty sure it’s half rum.”

“Is it?” The Doctor tilted her head in consideration. “Huh. Grace made it.”

“I take it back, three quarters then,” she said dryly, casting another nervous look around the room and noting the dozens of strings of fairy lights stuck to the walls, the patches of fake snow on the carpet that would be a bitch to clean, and how the ceiling was effectively carpeted in mistletoe. “And it explains a lot.”

The Doctor pounced on her then, nearly spilling the mug’s contents as she wrapped her arms around Rose. “Come _on_!”

“Yeah, yeah,” she groaned, nuzzling against her wife’s neck. “In a minute.”

_This is going to be torture._

* * *

After a cuddle that mostly ended because the Doctor couldn’t lay still Rose got up, letting the hot shower rouse her in tandem with a mug of TARDIS-provided non-spiked coffee.

By the time she emerged into the hall dressed and relatively less grumpy it was to cheerful instrumental versions of Christmas tunes playing, though her mind provided the appropriate lyrics.

_Deck the halls with boughs of holly, Fa la la la la, la la la la_

“Doctor?”

“Hey, Rose,” Yaz grunted from behind her, and she spun to see her and Ryan carrying a giant tree down the hall. “Doctor wanted this in the library- can you get the door?”

Rolling her eyes she hurried to do so, reaching it just as it appeared in the wall as extra-wide double doors, swinging both open and leaping out of the way of the teenagers.

They carried it in and set it down close to the fireplace, laughing and cheering as they high-fived at a job well done.

 _God, was I really ever that young?_ Two millennia on the TARDIS had dulled her memories of being nineteen and so carefree, though she wouldn’t trade the life she had for anything.

“Looks great, fam,” the Doctor gushed, appearing next to Rose and taking her hand. “But you know what it needs?”

Despite this being the first Christmas celebration with this particular incarnation, Rose had seen enough in twenty feet of hallway and their rooms to groan. “Please don’t say ‘tinsel’.”

“Great idea! Yes, we need tinsel. Maybe some silver for the tree? Oh, and gold! Like the song.”

Obligingly the TARDIS began to play _Silver and Gold_ , the Burl Ives version, and Rose stared up at the ceiling. _You can’t possibly condone this._

While the TARDIS was unable to respond with words with one memorable exception, they had developed their bond to the point where the ship could push an emotion towards her; and, for emphasis, she changed the song.

_I feel pretty, oh so pretty…_

_All right, all right, as long as you’re happy_ , Rose had to smile. _The things we do for our Time Lord, eh?_

“Oi,” the Doctor called from next to Ryan and Yaz, “quit talking about me.”

Rose just laughed. “Fine, I surrender. Pass me some tinsel.”

And they got to work.

* * *

“Ugh, I’m exhausted,” Rose groaned, barely waiting for the door to shut behind them before stripping. “It was fun, don’t get me wrong, but I never want to see tinsel again.”

The Doctor followed her to the bureau, where they both put on their pajamas, letting their day clothes lay where they fell. “It was nice,” she agreed, pulling her nightshirt over her head, “always good to have a down day. We’ve been running pretty hard lately.”

“Mhmm,” Rose agreed, yawning and heading for the bathroom. “As much fun as the running is, I love a good old-fashioned bonding day.”

They went about their routines in silence, one born of centuries of familiarity that didn’t require speech.

Returning to the bedroom, Rose paused to wrap her arms around her spouse and hug her tightly. “You didn’t say,” she murmured against her neck, “what inspired this.”

“Grace said it’d been too long since they’d celebrated,” the Doctor shrugged, “and there’d been so many close calls lately… ‘just in case’, she said.” Despite the somewhat dismissive tone, it was obvious how the words had affected her, based on how she tightened her grip on Rose.

“I’m always up for Christmas biscuits and giving gifts,” Rose laughed softly, skipping over the emotionally fraught reasons to focus on the lightheartedness the holiday required. “Should be fun. Let’s stop at a shopping planet tomorrow so everyone can find something.”

“Okay.”

Reluctantly separating Rose made her way around the bed to her side, saying wryly, “Just keep in mind, we’ve already got more than enough tinsel, love.”

“Agreed.”

Shaking her head and realizing she’d essentially doomed herself, Rose pulled back the covers – and groaned. “Are you _kidding_ me?”

For there, curled in the center of her spot, was such a large pile of tinsel it was a wonder she hadn’t spotted it before.

“ _Really_?”

Even being banished to the sofa in the library wasn’t enough to stop the Doctor’s howling laughter.


End file.
